Daryl's Blogs

Jargon is a language that is made up in a certain topic, such as music, science  and in technology used by those in the group which is completely meaningless to those outside of the group. It is done so that one member of the group can instruct, or communicate with another member of the group with the words instead of having to explain everything.

For example, in hospitals, nurses will have created their own words or names for things. You’ve probably heard these words if you’ve ever been in a hospital.

Another good example is when the dentist is checking your teeth. He/She will be saying a combination of numbers to the person that is sat at the computer so it can be imputed to the database.

Abandonware - This is an area between illegally downloading a game and buying it. These games are games that have been forgotten by the creators of it, and because there is no way to purchase this game, people have uploaded the game file to the internet for others to download in attempt the game to live on.

Artificial Intelligence - This is a term that is derived from computer science. This is what changes the game or the characters actions from the player’s input. For example, in Silent Hill, the ending changes with what the player does. If you’ve helped people and collected all clues, you will have a good ending, if you’ve got half of the clues and not helped people, you will have a bad ending.

Bug - This is an error in the coding or the design of the game. It can be something small - such as the characters visuals are inconsistent, or it can be something bit - the map will not load.

Demo - This is an incomplete version of software that is available for download to the public. This is mostly done so that the company can get feedback on it and see what they need to add or change. It could also refer to a section of the game that allows you to practice a little before you begin the actual game.

Quick-Time-Event - This is when the game requires the player to quickly press a button, or move the joystick in a formation that is shown on the screen. This is dubbed as a lazy interaction between game and player.

Modifications/Mods - This is when the player creates something that changes the game, or the actions of their character. An example of this is the ‘No Water’ mod in GTAV that gets rid of all the water in the game, allowing the player to explore the area or hold races.

Metagame – This is what a game inside a game is called. It is a chance for you to improve your skills or gain more knowledge on the game so you can take on another player in it and gain either money or XP.

Hacker - This is somebody who makes changes to the game. Sometimes this is legal, and sometimes this is illegal. Most games will detect when somebody is trying to hack and boot the player.

Filler - This is the name given to the content that is added to a game to lengthen the time. This is used so markets can say that there’s X amount of game play on the box which for some reason gets people to buy them.

DRM/Digital Rights Management - This is when the creator of the game limits the access of a game.  It’s done to stop piracy and online cheating.

DLC/Downloadable content - These normally do not cost the user any money to get their hands on. These could range from a costume for the player’s character, to a new level, do a new look of the map.  Most big gaming companies do put out things like this for free, but you will have the odd person that will charge you for it.

ISP/Internet Service provider - This is the company that is responsible for your internet connection. For example, Virgin Media, BT, Yorkshire Broadband.  

LAN/Local Area Network - This refers to hooking up computers by a cable to insure a good connection so players can play a lag-free game.

Wan/Wide Area Network - This is a network that covers a wide area, the user’s ISP provides a connection to their own WAN which connects to the internet.

IP Address - An internet Protocol address. It is a numerical address that corresponds to the user’s computer on the user’s network. This is something a computer uses to connect to another one.

Router - This is a device that passes traffic back and forth towards the user’s devices to the internet.

Bloatware - This is the name for software that requires lots of space on the computer. Most computers you buy from large tech companies will have apps that you don’t want or need on them.

The first stage of programming is planning and analysis. This is where the programmer finds out what the target market is/what the client’s needs are. Nine times out of ten, the client will have a very vague idea of what they want their program to be like. The programmer will need to have a series of meeting that will help the client give more information on the program. When this is done, the programmer will type up a document with all of this information.

The next step is to create a simple version of the program in a chosen language and run it to see how it works. This is done so that the  programmer can fix any bugs, or to see if they need to change the language they code in.

After the programmer is happy with the prototype software they have made, they will send it to the client to get their thoughts on it, and see if there is anything that they want adding to it.

Once the programmer has the client’s approval, they will begin programming the real piece of software. While doing this, the programmer will have to continuously debug it and fix the code.  

The app uses the cameras on smartphones to detect foreign text and translate it into the user’s language. The words are displayed in the same font, on the same background as the original text, but the words are in a language that the user will be able to understand.  

When the the camera is pointed to the text that needs to be translated, the app will

translate it and display the result in a real-time image of the graphic, or there is an option that allows the user to take a picture of it if they are not able to stand there while the apps translating it.

This app has been around for a few years, but it has only just become popular on the market because of the improvements made to it. The first few versions of the app were very slow, and some of the text was not read, therefore it was not translated. The newest version translates and displays the text to the user in seconds, but it still cannot translate text that is in cursive. Quest Visual have said that they are working on making recognising and translating text in cursive possible and want to have it up on the market by next year.  

As well as translating a piece of text into the user’s language, the app can also translate the user’s language into another.

One of the greatest features of this app, is that it can be used with no network connection, so when traveling, the user does not have to worry about finding a network connection just so they can translate something. This is also good in case of emergencies when the user is in a different country where they do not know the language. If they get lost, they can get out their phone and translate one of the signs and make their way back to where they are staying, or to a place where they can get some help.

The demo version is available for download for free on any Apple or Android device. The demo version allows the user to translate from Spanish, Italian and French to English and vise versa. On the paid version, you have a range of 30 languages that you can translate to and from.

In this documentary, the question ‘Is privacy dead?’ kept being asked.

Almost everyone will have a different opinion on this, which I will also take into mind in this post, but I will mostly talk about what I think about it, and what I think should be done to keep people anonymous online.

When the internet first came out, people were hesitant about using it at all, because it was completely new, and it was extremely complicated to them to navigate around, so they only used it for what they needed to, mostly to pay bills and send things to and from work. As we become more and more dependant on technology, people have found other ways to use computers. As there’s been more and more sites that people have found, the more people have began to trust them and made their use a part of their everyday life.

I’m going to use FaceBook as an example. People use this social site almost everyday to talk to their friends, or to update their friends about what they’ve done or what they’re planning on doing.

These people document everything on this site, life events, plans and photos. This is great to look back on for the user, and it’s also great for Mark Whateverhisnameis because he can sell user’s photos and information to advertisers and the government when asked.

FaceBook have said that they sell on information to big businesses so that they can reach out to the user and suggest some products they might like based on what they’ve liked on FaceBook.

Users cannot change this because it is part of FaceBook’s Data Use Policy that the user agrees to when they sign up for this website. If they do not like their information being sold on, they will have to delete their account to make it stop, though your E-mail will carry on being sent around these big companies so that they can shove their products in your face every five seconds.

When a user deletes a post they’ve made on FaceBook, it only goes away from their and their friend’s eyes. FaceBook stores every single photo and status update that’s posted in some sort of massive database.

Another good example of this is Google. Google has began to sell their User’s information such as E-mail addresses and search history to big companies so that again, like FaceBook, they can shove their products in your face. Those who have AdBlock installed will not have a problem with the ads, but will have to suffer with the E-mails until they mark it as spam.

Most of the big sites such as Google, FaceBook and Yahoo allow the CIA to spy on their users at any time they want and see all of the information that is posted there. They have said that this is to keep people ‘safe’ on the internet, but it really just keeps people prisoner. When they’re not being watched on the streets, they’re being watched online.

I really think that people should be allowed to post what they want on the internet without having to be watched. Most people just want to keep in touch with their friends and have a place to store their memories without any trouble.

On Netflix, in the beloved Documentaries section, I found an interesting documentary called ‘Terms And Conditions May Apply’. It talks about how companies use the laziness of people to their advantage and how the Government is using spyware to look at what people are writing and looking at on the internet.

In the first portion of the documentary, it talks about how Google has changed their T&Cs over the years from ‘We can’t see who you are, where you are, or what you do’ to ‘If there is concern, your details will be sent to the Government as part as an investigation’. I understand this, it can prevent crimes before they even happen, or it can help piece together something for a case.

The same happened to FaceBook. Mark Whateverhisnameis changed the site’s T&C’s overnight without telling any users, which is #1 completely sly, and 2# just proves that he a complete and utter idiot that shouldn’t be idolised.

Yes, the Google thing worked helping find a man who killed his wife, again, I get it, but the FaceBook thing I don’t get. In my opinion, it’s just another way for Mark to get more money and make him look like he’s some sort of hero. Who really uploads a status talking about any crime unless you’re a complete and utter plank? Nobody! FaceBook is used by those who want to keep in touch with their friends and family. (and have their pictures and information sold to third world parties so Wateverhisnameis can have a good retirement? But shh, nobody knows about that.)

In the documentary, there are several people that talk about how they’ve had SWAT teams to their door because of something they’ve done online. One man was arrested for quoting Fight Club, a child was questioned because he posted something along the lines of ‘Now Osama is dead, Obama better watch out’.

These updates were found through the spyware the Government and CIA has on most of the internet. The boy’s update would’ve struck red because the words ‘Obama, dead and watch out’ were in there. The boy said that he was worried about the President because there might be suicide bombers going after him now.

Yeah okay, understanding what tone something is in is hard when it’s in words, but arresting a guy because he quoted Fight Club? What even? I quote and post several Clockwork Orange posts on my Tumblr, does this mean that I’m going to go drink milk then proceed to beat a guy senseless then rape somebody? No. It just means I really like the book and the film!

The Government thinks that they have a right do whatever they want with the internet and data - like everything else - so they’ve installed spyware into phones, laptops, browsers and whatever the hell else they’ve got their hands on in the name of ‘safety’. All this has resulted in is people being arrested for putting a joke up on their social media page, or a hacktivist group such as Anonymous to be put under watch because they were arranging a meeting in a park.

They plan on having some sort of software that will be constantly tracking every single piece of data from every single device. This isn’t safety, this is wanting to silence hacktivists, protestors and anybody with an opion.

The Government really began to kick this plan into action, when my lord and saviour - Julian Assange - started to make their plans and information available to the public so they could see what was really going on behind the closed doors. Obviously they didn’t like being somewhat shown up by the information that Assange was getting his hands on and letting the public see.

There has been rumors that they’re trying to get Assange onto death row, but I have no clue if it’s true yet. They haven’t said that he’ll be punished for hacking, but for making confidential information a public document that can be accessed by millions.

I would love to see them try do this to him, because we all know the second they do try, his supporters will be low orbit ion cannoned up and ready for battle.

The internet is a free place. It should be the darknet that they should be worried about. Or not. Seeing as they use it more than anybody else to arrange things.

After several weeks of using my school's painfully dull blogging page, I decided that if I were to continue documenting things throughout my school time, I'd have to change where I post. 

Though Moodle is a decent, simple platform to post blogs, it's unreliable and the only thing you customise is the font size. Here I can change how my blog looks, organise it better, and be able to reblog info that I have read from other blogs.